PHOENIX (AP) - Hitless in 23 previous at-bats, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson faced Arizona Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke with two outs in the seventh inning and a man on second base.
Pederson, who’d struck out in his first two at-bats against Greinke, delivered a game-tying double, then came around to score the go-ahead run on Yasiel Puig’s single in the Dodgers’ 3-2 victory on Wednesday night.
“To have it come up big and help the team win a ballgame is a nice feeling,” Pederson said. “Just trying to look for a good pitch to hit. He made a mistake and I capitalized on it.”
The Dodgers became the sixth team since 1913 to reach 80 wins in their first 113 games.
“You could see the exhale when he got to first base, and that boyish smile,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Pederson. “He’s a big part of what we need to do. For him to get that big hit was a boost to all of us.”
Puig’s hit was the third off Greinke in the seventh, after Greinke had allowed only one hit through six innings. Cody Bellinger homered, doubled and scored twice for the Dodgers.
Greinke (13-5) lost for the first time in 13 starts at home this season and is 10-1 at Chase Field. He allowed three runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out eight and walked four.
“I threw a terrible pitch to Joc and he hit it good. Threw a pitch where I wanted to with Puig but he hit it all right and found a good spot,” Greinke said. “The pitch to Joc was the worse one and he did what he was supposed to with it.”
Dodgers starter Alex Wood (14-1) allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and a walk in six innings, and improved to 6-0 with a 1.72 ERA on the road this season.
Wood made a minor adjustment to his delivery to get the velocity back after it was lacking in his last start.
“I felt really great coming out of New York and that bullpen session, so I’m looking forward to the stretch for sure,” Wood said.
J.D. Martinez’s two-out single in the sixth off Wood gave the Diamondbacks a 2-1 lead, but it didn’t last long. Paul Goldschmidt had homered high off the center field batter’s eye in the fourth to tie the game at 1.
Bellinger, a native of nearby Chandler, Arizona, connected for his 33rd home run in the second inning. The ball sailed well into the right-field seats above the Dodgers bullpen.
The Dodgers are on a 53-game streak with at least two extra-base hits, the most in the majors since 1913.
The Dodgers got strong relief from Josh Fields, who pitched two scoreless innings and got Goldschmidt to ground into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. All-Star closer Kenley Jansen, who hadn’t pitched since Sunday in New York, closed out the game for his 29th save.
IT RAINES IN ARIZONA
Recent Hall of Fame inductee Tim Raines threw out the ceremonial first pitch, a strike down the middle.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Dodgers: LHP Clayton Kershaw (lower back strain) is scheduled for a bullpen session on Friday. … OF Andre Ethier (back) took batting practice before Wednesday’s game. He’s been on the disabled list since before the season started but will begin a rehab assignment on Saturday at Class A Rancho Cucamonga. Roberts is aiming for a Sept. 1 activation for Ethier. … LHP Julio Urias was in the clubhouse Wednesday. The top pitching prospect had season-ending left shoulder surgery in June after being sent back down to the minors, and Roberts said the team remains optimistic Urias will make a full recovery though there is no timetable for his return.
Diamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray, who is on the concussion disabled list, threw a 33-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday, and manager Torey Lovullo called it “fantastic.” His return date has yet to be determined.
UP NEXT
Dodgers: Recently acquired RHP Yu Darvish (7-9) makes his second start for the Dodgers on Thursday against Arizona.
Diamondbacks: LHP Anthony Banda (1-1) will face the Dodgers on his 24th birthday, his third career start.
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